Interchangeable purse and liner

ABSTRACT

The present interchangeable purse and liner provides a single liner or insert which may be interchangeably installed in any of a series of compatible handbags or the like. A person using the present purse and liner system may place all of her normally carried personal articles (e.g., wallet, keys, cosmetics, notebook and pen, etc.) in the insert, and merely remove the insert from one purse and place it in another when changing purses from, e.g., an everyday purse to an evening bag. The purse includes an upper flap which folds over the upper edge of the liner, to provide a finished appearance for the assembly. Two fastener sets (e.g., magnetic snaps, mechanical snaps, Velcro®, buttons, etc.) are used, with one set securing the flap to the inner surface of the liner along its upper edge, and the other set fastening between the liner and the inner surface of the purse.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to handbags, purses, and similarcontainers for the carriage of personal articles. More specifically, thepresent invention comprises various embodiments of a purse or purseshaving a separable liner therewith so that the liner is interchangeablebetween purses.

2. Description of the Related Art

Women often have two or more purses, which they use for differentoccasions. A woman may own a relatively plain purse for everyday use, afancier purse for evening use or other social affairs, or perhaps aseries of purses of different colors to coordinate with differentapparel. Most women have a certain number of personal articles, e.g.,wallet and identification, cosmetics, writing implements and notebooks,etc., which they carry in the purse pretty much at all times. When awoman requires a different purse, e.g., for a formal occasion or othersocial affair or to carry with a specific outfit, she must remove all ofthe articles from one purse and place them individually in the otherpurse, an operation that is clearly tedious and time consuming.Oftentimes, the different purses may have different compartments for thestorage of various articles therein, with the woman then needing toremove the various articles from the pockets or compartments of onepurse and place them in the appropriate pockets or compartments of adifferent purse. The various pockets or compartments are certain to bearranged differently in the different purses, thus resulting in somedelay in locating articles in different purses.

As a result, a number of purses or similar containers having removableor interchangeable liners have been developed in the past. Of these,many do not provide any real security for the liner when it is placed inthe purse, with no means being provided to secure the liner positivelywithin the purse. Of those purse and liner systems where the liner ispositively retained within the purse, the fastening systems generallyresult in an unfinished appearance to the assembly, or do not providethe security desired, or both.

The present invention overcomes these problems with an interchangeablepurse and liner system in which the liner may be quickly and easilyremoved from one purse and interchangeably installed in another, asdesired. The present system provides for the positive attachment of theliner into any of the purses to which it is adapted, while alsoproviding a finished appearance for the assembly when the liner isinstalled in a compatible purse. A discussion of the related art ofwhich the present inventor is aware, and its differences anddistinctions from the present invention, is provided below.

The related art may be divided into two categories, depending uponwhether the assembly provides means for positively retaining the linerin the purse, or whether the liner is only loosely contained within thepurse. Those purse and liner assemblies where the liners are notpositively fastened or retained within the purses are not felt to beparticularly closely related to the present invention. Variousassemblies lacking positive retention of the liner within the purse aredescribed in the following U.S. and foreign patents and publications:

U.S. Pat. No. 2,464,312 issued on Mar. 15, 1949 to Winnie B. Holden,titled “Quick-Change Internal Structure For Handbags;” U.S. Pat. No.2,467,662 issued on Apr. 19, 1949 to Florence Freiberg, titled “HandbagLining;” U.S. Pat. No. 2,893,457 issued on Jul. 7, 1959 to Helen M.Wilson, titled “Removable Purse Liner And Method Of Fabrication;” U.S.Pat. No. 3,451,454 issued on Jun. 24, 1969 to Robert J. Davis, titled“Removable Liner For Purses Or The Like;” U.S. Pat. No. 3,533,459 issuedon Oct. 13, 1970 to Elta E. Ody, titled “Purse Insert;” U.S. Pat. No.4,263,951 issued on Apr. 28, 1981 to Milton I. Siegel, titled“Interchangeable Accessory System For Handbags;” U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,769issued on Mar. 14, 1989 to Robert R. Phares, titled “Purse Insert;” U.S.Patent Publication No. 2003/29,534 published on Feb. 13, 2003, titled“Purse Organizer;” U.S. Design Pat. No. 252,596 issued on Aug. 14, 1979to Emy Adler et al., titled “Purse Insert;” U.S. Design Pat. No. 265,149issued on Jun. 29, 1982 to Mary A. Romano, titled “Hand Bag Insert;”U.S. Design Pat. No. 403,863 issued on Jan. 12, 1999 to Suzan Briganti,titled “Removable Organizer Liner For Handbag;” Italian Patent No.1,227,315 published on Oct. 13, 1989, titled “Improvements To Bags AndSimilar Products;” and British Patent No. 2,260,894 published on May 5,1993, titled “Improvements In Or Relating To Bags.”

None of the above listed patents and patent publications have any meansfor positively fastening or securing the liner within the purse orhandbag, as noted further above. However, a number of devices do providefor the positive attachment of the liner within the purse or handbag.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,529,724 issued on Nov. 14, 1950 to Sylvia T. Conwiser,titled “Carrying Kit Removably Insertable Into A Purse Or The Like,”describes a purse and liner combination with each element having a largeclosure flap. The closure flap of the liner is secured to the outerpanel of the purse by the overlying closure flap of the purse, when thepurse is closed. However, the Conwiser assembly provides no means forpositively retaining the liner in the purse when the purse is opened.The present assembly provides such positive retention means for theliner at all times, until the liner is deliberately released from thepurse by the user of the assembly.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,609,854 issued on Sep. 9, 1952 to Mitchell Rosen, titled“Interchangeable Linings For Pocketbooks,” describes a purse and linerassembly in which the liner and purse each have an upper opening with ahinged frame formed of rigid components. The inflexible opening frames(excepting the hinges) require the purse and liner to have essentiallythe same configuration, at least insofar as their attachments at theirrigid mouth frames. A series of mating fasteners are provided along thetwo frames, to secure the frame of the liner mouth positively to theframe of the purse mouth. The result is a relatively unfinishedappearance for the two frames when the components are assembled. Thepresent invention conceals the common edges of the liner and purse whenassembled, by providing a flap of material which wraps over the upperedge of the liner, and secures to the inner surface of the liner alongits upper edge.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,033 issued on Dec. 3, 1968 to Billy J. Tucker,titled “Interchangeable Purse Insert,” describes another insert having ahinged opening formed of rigid components. Velcro® is used to secure oneside of the insert to one of the inner surfaces of the purse. No foldedover purse edge for concealing the upper edge of the liner is providedby Tucker.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,254 issued on May 4, 1993 to Thelma J. Fromm, titled“Convertible Handbag,” describes multiple embodiments for an insert orliner for a purse or the like. At least one of the embodiments includesVelcro® along the mating upper edges of the purse and the liner tosecure the liner positively within the purse. However, Fromm does notprovide any form of outer flap extending from the upper edge of thepurse to fold over the upper edge of the liner to provide bettersecurity and a more finished appearance, as provided by the presentinvention.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,975 issued on Apr. 20, 1999 to Nancy Holden et al.,titled “Carriers And Interchangeable Liner Therefor,” describes a linerand purse having mating zippered upper edges to secure the linerpositively to the purse. No folded over upper edge for the purse isprovided by Holden et al. for concealing the edge of the liner and forproviding more positive retention of the liner in the purse, as providedby the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,262 issued on Jun. 15, 1999 to Elyse A. Steinhart,titled “Handbag,” describes an insert for a purse or the like havingpanels which slide through slots formed in the outer panels of the outerbag to be disposed upon the outer surfaces of the bag. The purseincludes upwardly folding, outer cover flaps to conceal the outwardlydisposed panels of the insert. However, no inwardly folding upper edgesare provided for the purse to conceal and better secure the liner in thepurse, as provided by the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,573 issued on Dec. 21, 1999 to JoAnn Owens, titled“Interchangeable Purse Assembly,” describes a liner with multiple zipperclosures and attachments. The upper edge of the liner has peripheralzippers which engage corresponding zippers along the upper edge of thepurse to secure the liner to the purse. The liner also has a zipperedmouth closure as well. No folded over upper purse edge is provided byOwens to conceal the zippered liner and purse attachment edges, asprovided by the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,025 issued on Jan. 30, 2001 to Alice B. Sutton,titled “Carry Bag With Pouch Insert And Cover,” describes a series ofembodiments of a purse or handbag and insert assembly. Some of theembodiments include mating snaps in the interior of the purse and on theexterior of the insert to secure the insert positively within the bag.However, Sutton does not provide any form of folded over flaps along theupper edges of the purse or bag to conceal the upper edges of the inserttherein.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,201 issued on Feb. 13, 2001 to Julie Salz, titled“Handbag With A Removably Attached Inner Bag,” describes embodiments ofa purse or handbag and liner, with the liner being secured within thepurse by flexible magnetic strips disposed along the upper edges of thepurse and liner. The liner may incorporate a zipper closure, but nofolded over flaps extend from the purse or bag to conceal the upperedges of the liner, as provided by the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,278 issued on Jul. 23, 2002 to Katy A. Grogan,titled “Nested Convertible Handbags,” describes bags and inserts whichprovide for the insert to be used separately, if so desired. Snaps areused to secure the insert into the larger bag, with the snaps alsoserving to secure the handle(s) to either the larger bag or to theinsert, as desired. No upper edge concealing flap is provided by Groganfor her assembly.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,688 issued on Sep. 10, 2002 to Alice B. Sutton,titled “Carry Bag With Pouch Insert And Cover,” is a division of theissued '025 U.S. Patent to the same inventor, discussed further above.The same points of difference noted between the purse and insertembodiments of the '025 U.S. Patent and the present invention, are seento apply here as well.

U.S. Design Pat. No. 334,661 issued on Apr. 13, 1993 to Dorothy P. Kohn,titled “Removable Pocketbook Liner,” illustrates a design comprising aninsert or liner apparently having mating Velcro® strips disposed alongthe upper edges of the purse and liner, on the inner edges of the purseand the outer edges of the liner. As in the cases of the other handbagand insert assemblies noted further above, there is no disclosure of thefolding over of the edges of the purse to conceal and contain the upperedges of the insert, as provided by the present invention.

U.S. Design Pat. No. 408,146 issued on Apr. 20, 1999 to Suzan Briganti,titled “Removable Organizer Liner For Handbag,” illustrates a designsimilar to the '863 U.S. Design Patent to the same inventor, noted inthe collective listing further above of assemblies which do not providepositive retention of the liner or insert in the purse. The '146 designappears to show a series of snaps or the like along the upper edges ofthe device, as well as compartments along both of the interior walls ofthe device. There is no disclosure of any form of overlapping upper edgefrom the purse to conceal the edge of the liner, as provided by thepresent invention.

Finally, International Patent No. WO 93/07,777 published on Apr. 29,1993, titled “Handbag,” describes (according to the drawings and Englishabstract) a purse or handbag and liner assembly. This is the only pursedescription with which the present inventor is familiar that discloses acollar or flap disposed along the upper edge of the purse, and whichfolds over to cover the upper edge of the insert placed therein.However, only a single series of fasteners is provided along the innersurface of the collar and the inner surface of the upper portion of theinsert. This would make the removal of the insert from the purse,somewhat difficult. As purses and liners are conventionally formed ofrelatively soft and flexible material, the inward pull to disengage thefasteners between the collar and insert would pull the insert inwardlyas well. There are no additional restraining fasteners to hold theinsert in place against the inner surface of the purse during thisinitial step of the removal operation. In contrast, the present purse orhandbag and liner or insert includes not only a series of matingfasteners between the inner surface of the collar and the inner surfaceof the upper portion of the insert, but also includes another series ofmating fasteners between the outer surface of the upper portion of theinsert and the inner surface of the upper portion of the purse. Thisarrangement anchors the insert in place against the inner surface of thepurse as the collar or flap is removed from the insert during theinitial step in the insert removal process, particularly if thefasteners between the outer surface of the insert and inner surface ofthe purse are stronger than the fasteners between the collar or flap andthe inner surface of the insert.

None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or incombination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus,an interchangeable purse and liner solving the aforementioned problemsis desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present interchangeable purse and liner allows a single liner orinsert to contain all of the articles normally carried in a handbag orthe like. The liner, with its contents, may be transferred betweendifferent purses or the like as desired, thus avoiding the need totransfer each article (e.g., wallet, keys, cosmetics, etc.) separatelyand greatly facilitating the process.

The liner or insert of the present interchangeable purse and linersystem may be used with any compatible purse, handbag, or the like, solong as the external bag is provided with corresponding fasteners inappropriate positions to attach to the liner in order to secure theliner within the purse. Preferably, a series of magnetic snaps orbuttons are used, but other types of fasteners (e.g., mechanical snaps,buttons, Velcro®, etc.) may be used as desired. The outer bag or purseincludes an upper flap which folds over the upper edge of the liner,thereby providing a finished appearance for the assembly.

The liner is secured within the bag by two sets or groups of fasteners,with one set securing the flap to the inner surface of the upper edge ofthe liner, and the other set securing the outer surface of the liner tothe inner surface of the bag. Different types of fasteners may be usedin each set, and the sets may be aligned or offset from one another asdesired. The fasteners of the set securing the flap to the inner surfaceof the liner may be somewhat weaker than the fasteners of the other set,thus facilitating the separation of the flap from the liner while stillholding the liner in place during the removal process.

These and other features of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon consideration of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an interchangeable liner andpurses or bags usable therewith, according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an end elevation view in section of a bag or purse and linertherein having the sets of fasteners offset from one another, showingthe assembly of the two components.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of an alternate embodiment of theassembly of FIG. 2, wherein the two sets of fasteners are aligned withone another.

FIG. 4 is a broken away detail view of the interior of a bag or purseand liner assembly, showing alternate fasteners which may be used withthe present invention.

FIG. 5 is another broken away detail view of the interior of a bag andliner assembly, showing further alternative fasteners.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention comprises a series of embodiments of aninterchangeable purse and liner system, in which a single liner orinsert is used to contain all of the articles normally carried in apurse, handbag, or the like. The single liner or insert may beinterchangeably placed in any one of a series of differently configuredpurses, so long as those purses each include mating fasteners for theliner for positively securing the liner or insert therein.

FIG. 1 provides an exploded perspective view of an exemplary liner orinsert 10 and a pair of differently configured purses or containers 12and 14 which may be interchangeably used with the liner 10. Each purseor handbag 12 and 14 has an upper edge, respectively 16 and 18, aninterior surface, respectively 20 and 22, and an opposite exteriorsurface, respectively 24 and 26. Each of the purses or handbags 12 and14 further includes an upper flap or collar, respectively 28 and 30,extending from their respective upper edges 16 and 18. Each flap 28 and30 includes an interior surface, respectively 32 and 34, and an oppositeexterior surface, respectively 36 and 38. These flaps 28 and 30 folddownwardly and inwardly into the upper portions of the purse interiors,and secure the upper edge of the liner or insert between the flap 28 or30 and the interior surface of the purse 12 or 14 along its upper edge.

The single liner or inner container 10 may be interchangeably placed asdesired in any of the purses of the present invention, e.g., exemplarypurses 12 and 14 of FIG. 1. The liner 10 includes at least an upper edge40 and opposed interior and exterior surfaces, respectively 42 and 44.

The liner 10 and various purses 12 and 14 for use therewith, eachinclude a series of mating fasteners thereon and therein for positivelysecuring the liner 10 within one of the purses 12 or 14, as desired. Afirst fastener set 46 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) comprises at least onefirst fastener 48 disposed upon the interior surface 32, 34 of the flaps28, 30 of the two purses 12 and 14, and at least one mating secondfastener 50 disposed upon the interior surface 42 of the liner or innercontainer 10 adjacent to the upper edge 40 thereof. These first andsecond fasteners 48 and 50 are configured to attach removably to oneanother, and secure the folded over purse flap 28 or 30 to the innersurface 42 of the liner or inner container 10 when the liner 10 isinstalled within the purse or outer container 12 or 14. Preferably, aseries of first fasteners 48 and second fasteners 50 are providedrespectively along the purse flaps 28 and 30 and along the inner liner10, for greater security.

While such a first fastener set 46 is sufficient to secure the liner orinner container 10 within one of the purses or outer containers 12 or14, the use of only a single set of fasteners can result in somedifficulty in disengaging the fasteners 48 and 50 from one another whenremoval of the liner 10 from one of the purses 12 or 14 is desired. Whenthe folded over flap 28 or 30 is pulled inwardly and lifted upwardly inan attempt to release it from the inner surface 42 of the liner 10adjacent the upper edge 40 thereof, the liner 10 itself is lifted orpulled away from the inner surface 20, 22 of the respective purse 12 or14, thus complicating the removal of the liner 10 therefrom.

Accordingly, the present interchangeable purse and liner inventionprovides a second fastener set 52, shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This secondset 52 comprises one or more (preferably a series of) third fasteners 54disposed adjacent the upper edge 16 or 18 of each purse 10 or 12 uponthe interior surfaces 20 and 22 thereof, and one or more (again,preferably plural) fourth fasteners 56 disposed upon the exteriorsurface of the inner container or liner 10 adjacent the upper edge 40thereof, and removably securing to the third fasteners 54 of the pursesor outer containers 10 or 12. This second fastener set 52 serves toretain the upper portion of the liner or inner container 10 to the innersurface of the respective purse or outer container 12 or 14 in which theliner 10 has been temporarily installed, while the user is removing thepurse flap 28 or 30 from the upper, inner surface 42 of the liner 10.

FIGS. 2 and 3 provide detailed elevation views in section of twoslightly different embodiments of fastener installations of the presentinvention. In FIG. 2, an exemplary inner container or liner 10 aincludes second fasteners 50 of the first fastener set 46, whichremovably engage the first fasteners 48 disposed upon the inner surface32 of the inwardly folding flap 28 of the purse or outer container 12.The liner 10 a also includes fourth fasteners 56 of the second fastenerset 52, with the fourth fasteners 56 of the liner 10 a removablyengaging the third fasteners 54 disposed upon the inner surface 20 ofthe purse or container 12 adjacent the upper edge 16 thereof. It will benoted that the second fasteners 50 and fourth fasteners 56 respectivelyof the inner and outer surfaces 42 and 44 of the liner 10 a are axiallyoffset from one another in the embodiment of FIG. 2. This may providecertain advantages in the manufacture of the liner or inner container 10a of the present invention, by allowing access to the material on theopposite side of each fastener. It will be seen that the secondfasteners 50 may be positioned below the fourth fasteners 56, as shown,or offset laterally, diagonally, or above those fourth fasteners 56, asdesired. As a result, the first fasteners 48 of the purse or outercontainer 12 are correspondingly offset from the third fasteners 54 whenthe first and third fasteners 48, 54 of the purse 12 engage theirrespective mating second and fourth fasteners 50, 56 of the liner 10 a,as shown by the alignment of the various fasteners 48, 50, 54, and 56 inthe upper left portion of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 illustrates a closely related embodiment to that of FIG. 3, inwhich the various fasteners are all aligned axially with one anotherwhen the liner is installed within the purse. In FIG. 3, the twofastener sets 46 and 52 are axially aligned with one another, i.e., thesecond and fourth fasteners 50 and 56 disposed upon opposite sides ofthe liner or inner container 10 b are directly opposite one another. Astheir respective mating fasteners 48 and 54 align with the fasteners 50and 56 when the liner 10 b is secured within the purse 14 (or othercompatible purse), all of the four fasteners 48, 50, 54, and 56 of thetwo sets 46 and 52 are aligned. This serves to anchor the upper, outersurface 44 of the liner 10 b even more securely to the upper portion ofthe purse 14, and further facilitates the removal of the liner 10 b fromthe purse 14 when desired by holding the liner 10 b securely to theupper portion of the purse 14 during the initial liner removal processas the fasteners 48 of the flap 30 are pulled loose from the fasteners50 of the inner surface 42 of the liner 10 b.

The removal of the liner 10 a or 10 b from the purse 12 or 14 may befurther facilitated by providing fasteners 48 and 50 of the first set 46with weaker adhesion than the fasteners 54 and 56 of the second set 52.In this manner, when the flap 28 (or 30) is pulled away from the innersurface 42 of the liner, the two fasteners 48 and 50 of the first set 46will separate first, with the fasteners 54 and 56 of the second setremaining secured to hold the liner 10 (or 10 a or 10 b) in place withinthe purse 12 (or 14). Once the flap has been lifted, the liner 10 may bepulled away from the inner surface 20 (or 22) of the purse 12 (or 14) byseparating the stronger fasteners 54 and 56 of the second set 52.

The present interchangeable purse and liner invention may utilize anumber of different types of fasteners, as desired. In the examplesshown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the fasteners are mating magnetic buttons orsnaps, with the first and fourth fasteners 48 and 56 having magneticallyattractive protuberances extending therefrom and the second and thirdfasteners 50 and 54 having mating magnetically attractive receptaclestherein. FIG. 4 illustrates a further fastener embodiment, whereinmating hook and loop fastener material (e.g., Velcro®) is used as thefirst through fourth fasteners of the two fastener sets.

In FIG. 4, a first fastener set 58 comprises a first or loop materialpad 60 secured (e.g., sewn, etc.) to the inner surface 32 a of the flap28 a, and a second or hook material pad 62 secured to the inner surface42 a of the liner, adjacent the upper edge 40 a thereof. The secondfastener set 64 comprises a third or hook material pad 66 secured to theinner surface 20 a of the purse or outer container near the upper edge16 a thereof, and a mating fourth or loop material pad 68 (shown inbroken lines) secured to the outer surface 44 a of the liner.

The liner and purse of FIG. 4 are assembled in much the same manner asthe liners and purses of FIGS. 1 through 3, i.e., placing the liner inthe purse, securing the mating hook and loop material of the pads 66 and68 of the second fastener set 64 together, then folding over the flap 28a and securing the mating fasteners 60 and 62 of the first fastener set58 together. It will be seen that the hook and loop portions of suchhook and loop fastener material may be reversed from the specificinstallation described above, and/or the second and fourth pads 62 and68 may be installed directly opposite one another on the two surfaces 42a and 44 a of the liner, as shown, or may be staggered or offset, as inthe case of the magnetic snaps or buttons 50 and 56 of the linerembodiment 10 a of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 illustrates additional types of fasteners which may be used withthe present invention, as desired. In the right side of FIG. 5, a firstfastener set 70 comprises a first or female snap 72 and a second or malesnap 74. Additional snaps may be used in the second fastener set, e.g.,the snap 76 shown in broken lines opposite the second snap 74, or thevarious types of fasteners may be mixed as desired, e.g., magneticbuttons for the first fastener set, hook and loop material for thesecond set, etc., as desired. This may provide for the differingfastener adhesion strengths of the first and second fastener sets tofacilitate the removal of the liner from the purse, as described furtherabove.

The left side of FIG. 5 illustrates yet another fastener configurationwhich may be used with the present invention, comprising mating buttons78 and eyelets or buttonholes 80. It will be seen that as the button isshown secured to the inner surface of the purse or outer container andthe buttonhole or eyelet is formed through the flap, the specific buttonand buttonhole or eyelet illustrated in FIG. 5 would not connecttogether due to the intervening upper edge of the liner disposedtherebetween when assembled. However, the principle remains that boththe liner and the outer container may be secured together using buttonsand eyelets, with a button and eyelet comprising a first fastener setand another button and eyelet comprising a second fastener set. Theopposed button and eyelet disposed adjacent the upper edge of the lineron its opposite surfaces, would of course be offset from one another.

While magnetic button or snap fasteners are preferred for securing theliner removably within any of the purses of the present invention, anyof a number of different principles of fastener may be used as desired.While normally all fasteners of the first and second sets would be ofthe same type or principle (but of mating configurations, as required),it may be desirable in some instances to use fasteners of differentprinciples for the two sets, e.g., magnetic buttons or snaps for thefirst fastener set and hook and loop fastener material for the secondfastener set. In this manner, the relative adhesion strengths of the twofastener sets may be selected as desired, in order to facilitateseparation of the outer container or purse flap from the inner surfaceof the upper portion of the liner or inner container while the linerremains secured to the inner surface of the purse.

In conclusion, the present interchangeable purse and liner inventiongreatly facilitates the transfer of articles from one purse to anotherwhen the use of a different purse is desired. A lady need only purchasetwo or more purses compatible with the liner of the present invention,and a liner for selectively securing in any of the purses, and place hervarious commonly carried articles (keys, wallet, cosmetics, etc.) withinthe liner. Whenever she wishes to carry a different purse, she need onlyremove the liner from the purse in current use and install the liner,complete with existing contents, into the other selected purse. Theliner of the present invention may be provided with conventionalinternal pockets and closures for those pockets as desired, therebyallowing the user to always know where various articles are storedwithout having to place those articles in a different internal pocketarrangement in a different purse. The present invention will thus begreatly appreciated by anyone who has had occasion to tediously removeand replace a number of separate articles from one container to another,merely to have a different style of container for a

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1. An interchangeable purse and liner assembly, comprising: at least twoouter containers, each having at least an upper edge, an interiorsurface, and an exterior surface opposite the interior surface; aselectively inwardly folding flap extending from the upper edge of eachof said outer containers, each said flap having at least an interiorsurface and an exterior surface opposite the interior surface; an innercontainer selectively installed within one of said outer containers,said inner container having at least an upper edge, an interior surface,and an exterior surface opposite the interior surface; a first fastenerset having at least one first fastener disposed upon the interiorsurface of said flap and at least one second fastener disposed upon theinterior surface of said inner container, selectively fastening to saidat least one first fastener; and a second fastener set having at leastone third fastener disposed upon the interior surface of said outercontainer adjacent the upper edge thereof and at least one fourthfastener disposed upon the exterior surface of said inner containeradjacent the upper edge thereof, selectively fastening to said at leastone third fastener.
 2. The interchangeable purse and liner assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein said at least one first fastener, secondfastener, third fastener, and fourth fastener each comprise a pluralityof fasteners.
 3. The interchangeable purse and liner assembly accordingto claim 1, wherein said first fastener set is offset from said secondfastener set.
 4. The interchangeable purse and liner assembly accordingto claim 1, wherein said first fastener set is aligned with said secondfastener set.
 5. The interchangeable purse and liner assembly accordingto claim 1, wherein said first fastener set is weaker than said secondfastener set.
 6. The interchangeable purse and liner assembly accordingto claim 1, wherein at least one said fastener set is selected from thegroup consisting of magnetically mutually attractive buttons, matinghook and loop fastener material, mating mechanical snaps, and matingbuttons and eyelets.
 7. The interchangeable purse and liner assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein said first fastener set and said secondfastener set are selected from the group consisting of magneticallymutually attractive buttons, mating hook and loop fastener material,mating mechanical snaps, and mating buttons and eyelets.
 8. Theinterchangeabile purse and liner assembly according to claim 1, wherein:said first fastener set and said second fastener set are selected fromthe group consisting of magnetically mutually attractive buttons, matinghook and loop fastener material, mating mechanical snaps, and matingbuttons and eyelets; and said first fastener set is formed of adifferent class of fasteners than said second fastener set.
 9. Aninterchangeable purse and liner assembly, comprising: at least two outercontainers, each having at least an upper edge, an interior surface, andan exterior surface opposite the interior surface; a selectivelyinwardly folding flap extending from the upper edge of each of saidouter containers, each said flap having at least an interior surface andan exterior surface opposite the interior surface; an inner containerselectively installed within one of said outer containers, said innercontainer having at least an upper edge, an interior surface, and anexterior surface opposite the interior surface; a first fastener sethaving at least one first fastener disposed upon the interior surface ofsaid flap and at least one second fastener disposed upon the interiorsurface of said inner container, selectively fastening to said at leastone first fastener; and a second fastener set having at least one thirdfastener disposed upon the interior surface of said outer containeradjacent the upper edge thereof and at least one fourth fastenerdisposed upon the exterior surface of said inner container adjacent theupper edge thereof, selectively fastening to said at least one thirdfastener; wherein said first fastener set is weaker than said secondfastener set.
 10. The interchangeable purse and liner assembly accordingto claim 9, wherein said at least one first fastener, second fastener,third fastener, and fourth fastener each comprise a plurality offasteners.
 11. The interchangeable purse and liner assembly according toclaim 9, wherein said first fastener set is offset from said secondfastener set.
 12. The interchangeable purse and liner assembly accordingto claim 9, wherein said first fastener set is aligned with said secondfastener set.
 13. The interchangeable purse and liner assembly accordingto claim 9, wherein at least one said fastener set is selected from thegroup consisting of magnetically mutually attractive buttons, matinghook and loop fastener material, mating mechanical snaps, and matingbuttons and eyelets.
 14. The interchangeable purse and liner assemblyaccording to claim 9, wherein said first fastener set and said secondfastener set are selected from the group consisting of magneticallymutually attractive buttons, mating hook and loop fastener material,mating mechanical snaps, and mating buttons and eyelets.
 15. Theinterchangeable purse and liner assembly according to claim 9, wherein:said first fastener set and said second fastener set are selected fromthe group consisting of magnetically mutually attractive buttons, matinghook and loop fastener material, mating mechanical snaps, and matingbuttons and eyelets; and said first fastener set is formed of adifferent class of fasteners than said second fastener set.